Our Introduction to the Callisto Protocol starts on Callisto, where else? “Oh no,” Jacob says as a huge mass of flesh, teeth, and tentacles rush at him, and I can’t help but agree. His time in Black Iron Prison does not go smoothly; in fact, he ran into one setback after another as he tried to escape through a horde of prisoners, guards, and mutated colonists. He also suffered his fair share of gruesome deaths along the way (sorry Jacob) and my dwindling ammo suggests he’s about to get another one.
The Callisto Protocol is the first production from Striking Distance Studios, and with Glen Schofield at the helm, he has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. It is true that it is easy to mistake that you are playing Dead Space. Callisto Protocol has certainly learned the basics: third-person sci-fi horror, complete with wholesome diet bars and kinetic abilities. It’s by no means a simple clone, however, and there are even a few nods to other games that will warm the twisted hearts of seasoned horror fans. A flooded area that flirts with the threat of movement below the surface evokes Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and the spectrum of mutations includes a blind enemy that tracks sound by making a series of distinctive clicks as it wanders through the darkness. Sounds familiar?
It’s a game that takes itself seriously, but it doesn’t too Really. Behind the horror hides a certain jocularity, reminiscent of a scary night experience. Yes, the Callisto Protocol wants to scare you, but it also wants you to have fun. This is manifested in the form of a tube with the inscription “Attention!” flashing into his eyes moments before a jump or a gruesome sight of dismembered bodies in a blood-spattered hallway just below a sign asking settlers to “keep this area clear.” Jacob’s death animation is also deliciously ridiculous, an explosion of innards that adds to the frivolity without detracting from the overall tone. In one such animation, Jacob’s arm is torn off and blood spurts violently from his stump until the scene fades to black. All this is disgusting and more than stupid, but at the same time very embarrassing.
While it might make you feel gross, there’s no denying that Callisto and Dark Iron are beautiful to look at. The dark industrial beauty of the prison is filled with twinkling lights and glistening blood, and its surroundings feel organic and functional. Fortunately, the game has a photo mode with the ability to customize the camera and lighting to your liking. However, while its surroundings are fascinating in some ways, they are surprisingly dated in others. Instead of drawing me in, the ominous and repetitive graffiti, often written in blood, interfered with my immersion and made me think of the lack of pens in the sci-fi prison. This post-mortem advice is also a serious hint of things to come, reducing the tension moment by moment as you descend into the depths of Dark Iron.
If you like horror games, it goes without saying that headphones are a must. Black Iron’s rich soundscape is characterized by the haunting clang of prison construction, the roar of machinery, and Jacob’s own movements. All that ambient noise is complemented by a soundtrack that changes from gloomy to explosive silence when the moment calls for it. This acoustic vibration is reduced without headphones; Let’s face it, a disembodied whisper doesn’t have the same impact when it comes from your monitor.
Anxious atmosphere aside, keeping an eye on Black Iron also serves a practical purpose. You can identify enemies sneaking through the vents and predict where they will spawn. The combat system encourages him to get closer to the Biophage, ignoring any instinct to keep him at bay. These melee combats are very cinematic, with the camera zooming in to give a claustrophobic urgency to each enemy encounter.
You can expect to find some truly terrifying biophagous mutations, but even foot soldiers hit like a truck; some hits can cause a killstreak. You have a block that slightly reduces the damage you take, but dodging is the way to go if you want to conserve your health. These timed dodges force you to be more methodical in your approach rather than mindlessly hitting the melee button. There’s no time window here, it’s just a chance to get out of the way before your opponent hits you in the face.
The stun baton is the only melee weapon available save for a rusty crowbar, but it’s heavy enough that the meaty punches from every successful hit will never go out of style. The Hand Cannon is the first real weapon you buy and mirrors Dead Space’s beloved Plasma Cutter in both reliability and ability to become one of the best weapons in your arsenal once fully upgraded. The heavier ammo comes later in the game, and the culmination of your upgrades gives you access to alternate shooting modes.
Dead Space fans can be sure that amputating limbs is not necessary to destroy a Biophage, but are tentacles -there are many- that shoot out of its abdomen after a few blows. You only have a few moments to shoot them before the Biophage takes over, transforming into a stronger form that will create a sense of urgency and prevent combat from becoming a chore. It is also quite dark to look at.
In terms of utility, fiberglass gloves are a boon for research. It works much like Dead Space’s kinesis, giving you the ability to drag supplies towards you that are otherwise unavailable and exposing enemies trying to play dead. It’s also a powerful tool in combat – there’s no better crowd control than sending your enemies through the meat grinder.
In that sense, The Callisto Protocol does an exceptional job of balancing horror and action, cleverly shifting the tone towards the latter in the game’s third act. Once armed with a full arsenal, The Callisto Protocol will give you plenty of opportunities to really get knocked out with all that firepower while keeping the elements of terror.
Unfortunately, the Callisto Protocol’s narrative is somewhat disappointing. It is very colorful by number; All of the major plot twists are plucked straight from a library of sci-fi horror movies, and while there’s comfort to be gained from walking the beaten path, the plot veers too far toward predictability. It’s also full of moments that directly echo what we saw in Dead Space – we won’t spoil anything, but there are some very obvious parallels. This, of course, is not Wrong story, but it’s unremarkable, and its predictability means its various twists and turns lack the punch I crave from a story-driven horror game.
Calling the Callisto protocol boring is wrong; on the contrary, it boldly wears its many inspirations on its sleeve. Rather, The Callisto Protocol is a celebration of the best horror games of the previous generation, including Dead Space. He excels at what he sets out to do, which is deliver a recklessly good ride with plenty of scares along the way, and he’s clearly proud of his heritage. Late in the game, one line of dialogue seems to speak directly to me: “I really hope you enjoyed your time on Black Iron.” I’m happy to report what I have and will definitely be using the Callisto protocol again in the future.
Callisto Protocol
A spiritual successor to Dead Space that combines the ideas of the best horror games of recent years, with a lot of blood and sand, although one small flaw is a mediocre story.
Source : PC Gamesn
